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April 30, 2024
 

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HOME TRUTHS

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Aug 6, 2016
Resort condos: an option for home buyers
As everyone in Japan now knows, there are millions of vacant houses and apartments throughout the country, many of which are on sale for a song. The money and effort needed to renovate these properties, however, often isn't worth it given how inexpensive new houses can be. That, of course, is the main reason why there are so many vacant homes in the first place. With the Airbnb boom, people may think they can buy some of these cheap residences, fix them up and make a killing by renting them out to tourists. However, 75 percent of the Airbnb listings in Japan are in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, cities where property remains expensive, and 70 percent of all listings are apartments and condos.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jul 2, 2016
A rise in vacancies won't mean drops in rent
According to the June 11 issue of Nikkan Gendai, the vacancy rate for rental properties in the 23 wards of Tokyo is currently 33.7 percent, while in surrounding prefectures, it's even higher: 35.5 percent in Kanagawa and 34.1 percent in Chiba.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jun 4, 2016
There's no hiding in Japan's toilets
When it comes to toilets, Japan presents several paradoxes. On the one hand, public toilets are ubiquitous, easy to access and, for the most part, quite clean. On the other hand, they can also be primitive, or at least to a Western sensibility.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 30, 2016
Yukarigaoka proves 'new towns' can age well
Tama, in western Tokyo, is currently trying to find a way to rehabilitate Parthenon Tama, the city's public cultural complex. During headier times, Parthenon hosted world-famous classical musicians and theater companies, and in addition to a large auditorium and a small auditorium, it contains a museum, a gallery and numerous conference rooms. According to the Asahi Shimbun, the 30-year-old facility is now in need of more than ¥7 billion worth of renovations that the local government says it can't afford. As it stands, it spends ¥400 million a year just to maintain the facility, and if it doesn't act soon, the complex may become unusable.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 2, 2016
Low interest rates cause spike in refinancing
It has been more than a month since the Bank of Japan introduced negative interest rates in its bid to revitalize the economy. For consumers, the rate change is a mixed blessing. Obviously, interest on deposits will not go up any time soon, but anyone thinking of buying a house or condominium can get cheaper loans.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 5, 2016
Tohoku is literally still waiting to move on
Earlier this month, the NHK travel series, "Tsurube Toasts Families," in which rakugo (traditional comic storyteller) performer Shofukutei Tsurube and a guest visit a town and talk to residents on an impromptu basis, went to some new communities in the area destroyed by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 6, 2016
The ups and downs of apartment elevators
In the 2014 American movie, "5 Flights Up," Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton play an elderly couple who think about selling their two-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. Since they have lived in the unit all their married life, the decision is a difficult one, and the premise of the plot hinges on the reason for their putting it on the market, which turns out to be a simple one: They live on the top floor of a five-story building with no elevator.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 2, 2016
Getting a high rise out of dodging taxes
About a year ago, we talked about using real estate purchases to lower inheritance and gift taxes. Obviously, people who are able to take advantage of these schemes are already well off — the average person doesn't have to worry about paying inheritance taxes when his or her parents die because for most people there aren't enough assets involved.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Dec 5, 2015
Aota-uri: 'green' condominiums to be wary of
Each year between 1990, when Japan's asset bubble burst, and the 2007 recession, about 200,000 new condominium units were added to Japan's housing stock. After 2007, the number dropped to about 100,000, but, depending on the year, anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 of these units were built in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. In contrast, during the same time period about 5,000 single-family houses were built in the Tokyo region every year. Condos have thus become the mainstream style for new housing in the capital region, mainly due to the higher cost of land.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 31, 2015
Not-so-friendly neighborhood associations
When the U.S. military took charge following Japan's surrender in 1945, one of the first things it did was ban jichikai, or community associations. The thinking was that these organizations had carried out the work of the military government at the neighborhood level and their continued existence might undermine Japan's changeover to a more representative democracy. It didn't quite work, though. As soon as the Occupation was over, jichikai returned.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 3, 2015
Don't be green about the charm of tatami
When we were thinking of buying a condominium, we visited several old danchi — apartments built by Japan's former public housing corporation — because they were cheap and, we thought, easy to renovate. One of the units we inspected had bedroom floors made of tatami mats, and we wondered if we could replace them with real wood floors. The realtor told us that we probably couldn't. The tatami was mandated by the condo's management association because it acted as soundproofing. In fact, he didn't think we'd be able to install real wood floors anywhere in the apartment, because other than tatami only a certain type of sound-proofed laminate flooring was allowed in the building.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Sep 5, 2015
Score eco points for your home ground
Several months ago we had most of the windows in our home replaced, even though the house is less than 2 years old. When we had it built we ordered standard double-glazed windows with aluminum frames and sashes, thinking it would be enough, but after the first winter we realized is wasn't, so we decided to buy windows that keep more heat inside during colder weather, while also reflecting more of the sun's rays when it's hot.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Aug 1, 2015
Your home may be your castle, but not all of it is yours
When we were thinking about buying a condominium some years ago, we looked at older units and brand new ones, and one of our least favorite features was pebbled or fogged window glass, which was ubiquitous. Early on, when we didn't know any better, we asked a real estate agent how much it would cost to replace a set of pebbled windows with transparent ones, and he said that was not possible. We reacted with confusion, thinking that as owners of the unit, not renters, we could make any changes we liked. But as he explained to us, some of the features of a condominium are considered "communal" (kyōyō-bu), meaning they are owned by all the residents of a building, and one of those common features are windows, which means they can't be changed.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jul 4, 2015
Temblors in the home insurance business
When we were looking around for a financial institution for a housing loan, we found that the major ones didn't really want to talk to us, but there were plenty of other places that would.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jun 6, 2015
Watch out for hidden hazards of buying land
When we were looking for property we consulted topographical maps prior to checking a particular piece of land in person. Understanding the elevation of a plot is important if you're buying land near the coast or along a river. In the event of flooding or a tsunami, it's obviously better to be located on higher ground. Older topographical maps are also helpful because they can show you the contours of the land before it was developed for residential housing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
May 2, 2015
Garden states: looking good on the outside
One problem with designing your own house is that you don't necessarily know what it's going to be like until it's finished. The company we hired to build ours doesn't make model homes the way some housing companies do. It's one of the reasons we chose them, since models add to the price of the product. All we had were two-dimensional printouts based on computer models.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 4, 2015
Japan's public housing system has a shelf life
One of the most desirable properties in Tokyo is Chateau Mita, located in Minato Ward within walking distance of several embassies and Tokyo Tower and less than 10 minutes from four subway stations. The apartment building was constructed in 1964 and by 2000 there were persistent problems with plumbing and wiring, so the resident-owners decided to rebuild the eight-story structure in 2010.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 6, 2015
Cheap rural homes come at a price
Though the hollowing-out of population in regional areas in Japan has become a major issue for the central government, it's been a problem for regional governments for more than three decades. Twenty years ago there was a popular promotional method called "I-turn," devised as a supplement to the "U-turn" movement. This latter scheme lured people who lived in cities back to their hometowns. The I-Turn scheme, however, targeted people who grew up in cities but perhaps had some romantic longing for rural life.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 6, 2015
Renting comes with guarantors, not guarantees
According to the most recent census, as of 2010 the population of Japan stood at a little less than 128 million, and if demographic trends continue at the current rate it will be 107 million in 2030 and 97 million in 2050. Despite this projected decline, 369,993 new rental units were built in Japan last year; up from 291,804 built in 2010, an increase that sounds counterintuitive given the population drop, though the trend could be a reflection of perceived changes in housing preferences.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 2, 2015
Property borders: Where to draw the line
Some years ago we lived in western Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, in a neighborhood that clung to the contours of a hilly terrain. Many of the streets were just dirt and gravel, even though the area was fully developed. Neighbors told us that they had been trying to get the local government to pave these roads, but the work never proceeded because the authorities claimed they couldn't gain permission from the owners of some of the adjacent plots. Any roadwork ran the risk of intruding on private property, so nothing was ever done.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

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